In all, three lives were lost in the four accidents on a road that’s getting a reputation as one of the state’s most dangerous.

“Route 24, I don’t think, has had any larger number of accidents than other roads. However, the speeds on Route 24 are probably higher than a lot of the other state roadways, and as a result, some of the accidents are much more severe and tragic,” Mass. Highway Administrator Frank DePaola told WBZ NewsRadio 1030.

DePaola said one of the problems is that Route 24 is relatively straight.

“Being a straight road, people tend to drive a lot faster than they should. The posted speed limit is 65, but typically vehicles are going much higher than that,” said DePaola.

DePaola said the highway can be safer as long as drivers follow the rules of the road.

“If people would pay attention to their driving, and keep their speeds within reasonable limits, Route 24 in particular is relatively straight, so if people just stayed in their lanes, their should be no issues driving up that road,” said DePaola.